Exurban Gang War Leads To 19 Indictments

MIDDLETOWN, NY — Members and associates of two rival gangs operating in Orange County were indicted Tuesday on offenses ranging from narcotics to weapons to murder. The Guap Gang and the Coke Wave Boys fought over the business of drug trafficking, particularly heroin, prosecutors allege.

“For too long, the Coke Wave Boys and Guap Gang engaged in violent and dangerous activities that threatened the safety of our community, and it was their reckless disregard for human life that resulted in the death of Coree White on August 17, 2017," said City of Middletown Police Chief John Ewanciw. "I would like to thank the family of Coree White for their patience and support during this in-depth and complex investigation. I would also like to thank the men and women of my agency, as well as those of all the other partner agencies, for their hard-work and dedication in seeing this investigation to its conclusion.”

Ewanciw along with Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; David M. Hoovler, the Orange County District Attorney; and William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced the unsealing of indictments yesterday charging a total of 19 members and associates of the two rival street gangs operating in Middletown, a small city of about 29,000 people.

“Most fear the violent streets gangs in the bigger cities in our area, but these criminal enterprises have now infected the small towns outside the cities hoping to control territory," Sweeney said.

The gangs are charged in separate courts: Six Guap Gang members are charged in federal court with narcotics conspiracy and firearms offenses while 13 Coke Wave Boys members or associates are charged in Orange County Courts with offenses including murder, conspiracy, narcotics and weapons offenses.

“We will not tolerate the rise of violent street gangs hoping to profit from the devastation that narcotics are already wreaking on our communities," Hoovler said. "The murder of Coree White is further proof that where there is organized narcotics dealing, gun violence inevitably follows. I commend the City of Middletown Police Department for recognizing the connection between violence and organized narcotics activity."

As alleged in the Guap Gang Indictment unsealed today in White Plains federal court[1]:

From about 2016 to the present, John McGuigan, a/k/a “Jack,” a/k/a “Rico,” a/k/a “White Boy;" Duane Kirby, a/k/a “Ace,” a/k/a “Eddie,” a/k/a “Flea,” a/k/a “Montana;” Desmen Agosto, a/k/a “Feddi Green;" Christopher Anderson, a/k/a “Bo,” a/k/a “Drama;" Darius Monroe, a/k/a “Boosie,” a/k/a “Loso;” and Christopher Shelp, a/k/a “Silence,” agreed to violate the narcotics laws of the United States by distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute heroin in and around Middletown, New York.

Additionally, McGuigan and Kirby used and carried a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime, prosecutors alleged. Monroe also illegally possessed a firearm after having been previously convicted of a felony.

Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI, the City of Middletown Police Department, and the New York State Troopers. Berman thanked the Orange County District Attorney’s Office for its invaluable partnership in the case.

This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Gillian Grossman and Allison Nichols are in charge of the prosecution.

Narcotics conspiracy (Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 1 kilogram and more of heroin.)

JOHN McGUIGAN, 28 years old

a/k/a “Jack,”

a/k/a “Rico,”

a/k/a “White Boy,”

DUANE KIRBY, 29 years old

a/k/a “Ace,”

a/k/a “Eddie,”

a/k/a “Flea,”

a/k/a “Montana,”

DESMEN AGOSTO, 29 years old

a/k/a “Feddi Green,”

CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON, 27 years old

a/k/a “Bo,”

a/k/a “Drama,”

DARIUS MONROE, 28 years old

a/k/a “Boosie,”

a/k/a “Loso,” and

CHRISTOPHER SHELP, 25 years old

a/k/a “Silence”

Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime

JOHN McGUIGAN,

a/k/a “Jack,”

a/k/a “Rico,”

a/k/a “White Boy,” and

DUANE KIRBY,

a/k/a “Ace,”

a/k/a “Eddie,”

a/k/a “Flea,”

a/k/a “Montana”

Felon in Possession of a Firearm

DARIUS MONROE,

a/k/a “Boosie,”

a/k/a “Loso”

The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Image via Shutterstock